“Effortful”: Narratives of Women Working in Higher Education during COVID-19

The novel coronavirus, Covid-19, brought unknown consequences (e.g., short- and long-term health effects, mortality rate, and infection rates) to the United States in 2020. With the physical spaces of businesses shutting down and reliance on virtual and remote spaces, implications of the virus’ effects encompassed multiple areas such as health, wellbeing, and finances. Caregivers, predominantly occupied by women, balanced increases to both paid and unpaid labor. This narrative inquiry collected the experiences of four women working in higher education during the pandemic. These narratives were collected to explore the effects of added responsibilities on women through an ethics of care lens. The narratives contributed to the novel literature of experiences during the Covid-19 pandemic and its behavioral effects. This research can aid higher education professionals in understanding the added stresses (e.g., work and personal) to women during the pandemic response.